Donnerstag, 8. Februar 2018

Rebecca Solnit: As Trump Tweets, America Burns - Has Irreparable Damage to This Country Already Been Done?

The federal government is morphing like a
monstrous blob. Long-established separations are melting down; hitherto
united organs are fissioning. Yet other parts are withering away—the
foreign service, scientists, civil servants unable to carry out their
jobs with principle—or being weakened: “The Trump administration has
stripped enforcement powers from a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
unit responsible for pursuing discrimination cases,” the Washington Post recently reported.Federal resources are being auctioned off or given away: public
land—and sea—are being offered up to extractive industries. National
monuments are being shrunk. Limits on pollution are being slashed. Funds
for basic services are being cut. USA Today reported almost a
year ago, “President Trump’s proposed budget takes a cleaver to domestic
programs, with many agencies taking percentage spending cuts in the
double digits. But for dozens of smaller agencies and programs, the cut
is 100 percent. Community development block grants. The Weatherization
Assistance Program. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The
National Endowment for the Arts. The Corporation for Public
Broadcasting.” The Environmental Protection Agency has been gutted and
the Department of Education pursues a war against universal public
education. ... [mehr] http://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-as-trump-tweets-america-burns/